VOLUME
33
䡠
NUMBER
11
䡠
APRIL
10
2015
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
J C O
Y I A
Journal Honors Steven M. Corsello, MD, As Recipient of the 2014 JCO Young Investigator Award Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) is pleased to bestow its 2014 Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Young Investigator Award (YIA) on Steven M. Corsello, MD, who is an instructor in medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA). The title of his research is “Discovery of P53 Therapeutics via the Connectivity Map.” Created in 1984, the YIA provides research funding to young oncologists to support their transition from final years of training to faculty appointment and to encourage quality research in clinical oncology. The original idea for JCO to sponsor a YIA came from George Canellos, MD, during his 1993 to 1994 tenure as ASCO’s president, as an opportunity for JCO to encourage researchers at the beginning of their careers. The Research More than half of all human cancers are linked to defects in the P53 tumor suppressor pathway. Often referred to as the “guardian of the genome,” P53 mediates multiple important biologic processes that prevent tumor development. Despite decades of research and tens of thousands of publications, few drugs that specifically modulate P53 function have been identified; even fewer have reached the clinic. New strategies are desperately needed to reactivate this pathway in cancer. Dr Corsello’s research draws on the groundbreaking Connectivity Map (CMap), an extensive gene expression profile resource. Developed at the Broad Institute under the leadership of Dr Todd Golub, Dr Corsello’s research mentor, the CMap enables the comparison of 1.3 million drug- or gene-induced expression profiles across more than a dozen cell types. By matching clinical drugs to relevant cancer gene and tissue signatures, Dr Corsello seeks to discover both new therapeutic drug indications and novel underlying pathways. Dr Corsello’s initial analysis of CMap data revealed unexpectedly strong P53-related connections to drug treatments. Further experiments will evaluate candidate drug compounds’ ability to augment multiple P53-dependent effects in cancer cell lines. Dr Corsello aims to identify compounds and potential new therapeutic targets to restore P53 tumor suppressor function in human
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 33, No 11 (April 10), 2015: pp 1229
cancers. This interdisciplinary research, spanning approaches in the fields of biology, chemistry, and computational science, reflects Dr Corsello’s broad scientific interests. About Dr Corsello Dr Corsello received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed a residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed fellowship training in hematology and medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He joined the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute faculty in July 2014 as an instructor in medicine with a clinical focus in GI oncology. His research seeks to identify new cancer therapeutics through gene expression analysis, with the goal of finding new indications for existing drugs that can then be rapidly validated and moved into the clinic. Dr Corsello is deeply honored to be selected for this award and would like to thank the Conquer Cancer Foundation as well as his current and prior research mentors, including Dr Todd Golub, Dr Kimberly Stegmaier, Dr David Frank, and Dr Charles Fuchs (1991 YIA). He is also grateful for the ongoing support of his clinical mentors, training program directors, and family. The editors of JCO are delighted to honor Dr Corsello for his commitment to research in gene expression analysis. About the Conquer Cancer Foundation The Conquer Cancer Foundation is working to create a world free from the fear of cancer by funding breakthrough research, by sharing knowledge with physicians and patients worldwide, and by supporting initiatives to ensure that all people have access to highquality cancer care. Working in close collaboration with a global network of top scientists and clinicians, as well as leading advocacy and research organizations, the Foundation draws on the passion and expertise of more than 30,000 oncology professionals who are members of its affiliate organization, ASCO. For more information, visit www.conquercancerfoundation.org. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2015.60.7952; published online ahead of print at www.jco.org on March 9, 2015
© 2015 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Downloaded from jco.ascopubs.org on November 13, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
1229
33
䡠
NUMBER
11
䡠
APRIL
10
2015
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
J C O
Y I A
Journal Honors Steven M. Corsello, MD, As Recipient of the 2014 JCO Young Investigator Award Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) is pleased to bestow its 2014 Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Young Investigator Award (YIA) on Steven M. Corsello, MD, who is an instructor in medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA). The title of his research is “Discovery of P53 Therapeutics via the Connectivity Map.” Created in 1984, the YIA provides research funding to young oncologists to support their transition from final years of training to faculty appointment and to encourage quality research in clinical oncology. The original idea for JCO to sponsor a YIA came from George Canellos, MD, during his 1993 to 1994 tenure as ASCO’s president, as an opportunity for JCO to encourage researchers at the beginning of their careers. The Research More than half of all human cancers are linked to defects in the P53 tumor suppressor pathway. Often referred to as the “guardian of the genome,” P53 mediates multiple important biologic processes that prevent tumor development. Despite decades of research and tens of thousands of publications, few drugs that specifically modulate P53 function have been identified; even fewer have reached the clinic. New strategies are desperately needed to reactivate this pathway in cancer. Dr Corsello’s research draws on the groundbreaking Connectivity Map (CMap), an extensive gene expression profile resource. Developed at the Broad Institute under the leadership of Dr Todd Golub, Dr Corsello’s research mentor, the CMap enables the comparison of 1.3 million drug- or gene-induced expression profiles across more than a dozen cell types. By matching clinical drugs to relevant cancer gene and tissue signatures, Dr Corsello seeks to discover both new therapeutic drug indications and novel underlying pathways. Dr Corsello’s initial analysis of CMap data revealed unexpectedly strong P53-related connections to drug treatments. Further experiments will evaluate candidate drug compounds’ ability to augment multiple P53-dependent effects in cancer cell lines. Dr Corsello aims to identify compounds and potential new therapeutic targets to restore P53 tumor suppressor function in human
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 33, No 11 (April 10), 2015: pp 1229
cancers. This interdisciplinary research, spanning approaches in the fields of biology, chemistry, and computational science, reflects Dr Corsello’s broad scientific interests. About Dr Corsello Dr Corsello received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed a residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed fellowship training in hematology and medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He joined the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute faculty in July 2014 as an instructor in medicine with a clinical focus in GI oncology. His research seeks to identify new cancer therapeutics through gene expression analysis, with the goal of finding new indications for existing drugs that can then be rapidly validated and moved into the clinic. Dr Corsello is deeply honored to be selected for this award and would like to thank the Conquer Cancer Foundation as well as his current and prior research mentors, including Dr Todd Golub, Dr Kimberly Stegmaier, Dr David Frank, and Dr Charles Fuchs (1991 YIA). He is also grateful for the ongoing support of his clinical mentors, training program directors, and family. The editors of JCO are delighted to honor Dr Corsello for his commitment to research in gene expression analysis. About the Conquer Cancer Foundation The Conquer Cancer Foundation is working to create a world free from the fear of cancer by funding breakthrough research, by sharing knowledge with physicians and patients worldwide, and by supporting initiatives to ensure that all people have access to highquality cancer care. Working in close collaboration with a global network of top scientists and clinicians, as well as leading advocacy and research organizations, the Foundation draws on the passion and expertise of more than 30,000 oncology professionals who are members of its affiliate organization, ASCO. For more information, visit www.conquercancerfoundation.org. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2015.60.7952; published online ahead of print at www.jco.org on March 9, 2015
© 2015 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Downloaded from jco.ascopubs.org on November 13, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
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